Just one of those things
by NyxB
Summary: We both had someone to come home to....One-Shot, Enjoy....


_Enjoy…_

__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

**Just one of those things…..**

_**Not all love stories begin,**_

_**At the jaws of death…..**_

_**Most romances commence as softly as snow,**_

_**It begins when both, **_

_**Cannot let the other go……**_

_**_ _ _**_

It all started one warm summer morning.

Wait, actually now that I think about it, one warm summer evening. Looking back on that day, believe me, I would never have predicted the way things turned out. But I guess this is one of those things, huh? Things that Kami-sama or whoever is watching over us triggers; just to let us know that she controls our destinies…

……. Am I beginning to sound like Neji?

So like I was saying, during that evening's practice, I felt Sakura's eyes on Sasuke and me the whole time. It wasn't strange; her observing Sasuke like a piece of meat. Well, it wouldn't have been strange, if it weren't for the fact that she had gotten over him in the years he had been gone and that she now considered him as one of her closest friends, and _nothing_ more.

Sasuke trusts her too. And that is saying something about the bastard. He's got trust issues. After he came back, it was like he lost his will to live. Sakura and I had to coax him back to the bastard we all knew and liked. It took nearly a year and even now his emotional growth is rather stunted.

Also, getting back to Sakura, she's now dating the Green Beast of Konoha. The junior one; and even if he's not as bad as the older one, he's bad enough. Hey, but it's not like I have got something against him, just that the wriggly things on his forehead freak me out. And his spandex…Ahem!

But speaking of clothes, I'm not exactly qualified to tease Lee, huh? Seeing as how I still wear all orange? In Sasuke-teme's words, _you're one to talk, Dobe. _

Anyway getting back, don't know why, if not in the middle of battle, I get distracted very easily. I guess it has something to do with my sunny personali…_continuing…._

Then, _in the middle of our spar, _Sakura suddenly smirked and mouthed something to him.Sasuke's eyes glazed over and he turned red; I…Was he_ blushing?_ Kami-sama-in-heaven!!!

One of the first expressions I've seen on his face besides anger or one his sexy smirks (Ino's and Sakura's words, not mine.), trust me. Without even looking at me, he caught my fisted wrist in one hand and he spun me. When I stopped spinning, dizzy, and anxious to ask him what the hell he was doing, he had disappeared, with Sakura in tow.

Heart aching with the betrayal of two of my closest friends, and frankly quite insulted (He left in the middle of our spar, without a scratch too…) I left the training grounds with Kakashi-Sensei. I was ranting to him, of course, but the old pervert mustn't have heard even one frustrated word. His face as usual was buried in his latest Icha book.

Looking at him, I shook my head. Ero-Sannin ought to have a kunai thrust through his head, believe it. Whatever…I had more important things to think about.

"Kakashi-Sensei, what do you think is going on between the bastard and Sakura?" I asked after a small pause, contemplatively. Kakashi- Sensei's eye-brow rose and his lips curved into a smirk. Hey, not that I know for sure, I'm _assuming_ so because such was the situation.

"Why don't you go find out, Naruto, if it bothers you so much?" Ah, so he _was_ listening. Amazing ability, that; concentrating on more than one thing at a time. Pity, I'm not a multi-tasker.

But, really that was a good question. I _could_ find out couldn't I? After all I _am_ Naruto Uzumaki, the greatest ninja in all of Konoha and I _will _become the greatest Hokage in the history, believe it! I flashed back home. I had a lot to think about…..

It can be hard when you're in a dilemma. But once you come to a decision, even if both choices are painful in some way, you feel immensely better. Trust me, I know.

There were two choices in front of me – Either butt out and let Sasuke and Sakura do whatever they are doing and live for the rest of my life, _with all my body parts intact,_ pondering agonizingly over it or find out, sneakily of course; that's why I am a ninja, and risk being mauled if Sasuke or Sakura find out.

Well, both of them didn't appeal so much to me. But, mental torture is a lot worse than physical abuse, so I decided to go with the second option. And mind made up, I laid down my plans; very carefully.

_ _ _

Well, who knew things would progress that steadily?

Right then, a week later, there I was, concealed behind a bush, wearing dark glasses and a beret. Why? Well, I'm doing this for Sasuke. I'm collecting information on Sakura. Hush!!

What led to this, you ask? Here's what…

_ _ _

"_Dobe…" Sasuke's voice cut through my ramen time. No one interrupts my ramen time, no one. "What teme?" I said, annoyed. "Tell me quickly, I want to get back to my baby."_

_Yeah, I know what you're thinking. How juvenile. But my life revolved around ramen. There is nothing like Ichiraku ramen in the world, believe it!!!_

"_Naruto, I, I…um… have something to…say." My eyebrow rose till it disappeared into my hairline. At least I like to think so…heh…_

_What is this? The great Uchiha stuttering? I looked at the sky outside Ichiraku, no it hadn't fallen down, it was still there. And I looked in the other direction. No, pigs aren't flying either. Hmm…strange! _

"_Very funny, Dobe." Sasuke growled. Oh oops, did I say that aloud? "Yes, you did. Now will you listen to me?" I have really got to stop saying things out aloud. "Yes, you should." Sasuke sounded smug. I scowled. "Say what you want to say and leave, bastard." _

_He suddenly went red and quite unexpectedly, phased into another world. I was surprised beyond words. It was quite a well-known fact that Sasuke was not a dreamer. He thrived on facts and cold logic._

_I coughed discreetly to remind him that I was still here. "I…um…sort of..." He trailed off. "Spit it out, teme." I was irritated and astounded. Not a very good combination when you're hungry._

_Sasuke was red and his eyes were fixed on the floor. I looked down to see if there was anything interesting there. I don't see anything…."Dobe, I …" The words trailed into mumbles. I leaned closer to his mouth. I was puzzled. What could he be trying to tell me? He stilled, suddenly._

_Then my eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, Sasuke, you're in love aren't you?" Sasuke looked at me surprised and terrified. I suppose he thought I would take longer to figure it out, the bastard. _

_I'm very sensitive to my friends's feelings, you know? Especially one as dear to me as Sasuke…"Hn" He was still red._

"_My little Sasuke is all grown up." I cackled. Oh, this was a gold mine. "I seriously thought you were asexual or something, teme, considering how you __never__ looked twice at __any__ girl." He frowned._

"_Will you tell me who the lucky lady is?" I said, leering, my eyebrows waggling. "Forget it, Dobe. I just needed you to under…" He ran a pale hand through his hair. "Just… don't publicize it, okay?" And he was gone._

_As if I would, I snorted. He had sounded very disappointed. I wonder why. Aren't people in love supposed to be crazy happy? I shrugged. That's yet another thing different about Sasuke, I guess. _

_Who could it be? Ino? Nah, too high maintenance, besides Sasuke wouldn't go for a girl like her. I thought for a moment, running through all possible candidates, and ding, we have a winner. Wait for it…. It's Sakura. I mean, seriously, why didn't I think of her first? After yesterday, it was bound to happen. I should have guessed sooner that it was something like that._

_Well, Sasuke-teme, I'll do anything to make you happy, even at the cost of breaking bushy-brows heart. I'm not usually this mean, but what can I say? I think you deserve this break; after all you have been through._

_Sakura will be yours by the end of this week, if you want her, believe it..!!_

__ _ __

And that's why I'm here ……

Sakura looked annoyed and looked in my direction, "You can come out now Naruto." She said, not even trying to hide her irritation.

_Oops_.

I got up sheepishly, pulling the dark glasses and the beret off and stalked towards her and Lee.

"Ohayo, minna. Pleasant day, isn't it?" I asked enthusiastically. Sakura raised a suspicious eyebrow. I sighed; I guess there's no fooling her.

Lee flashed me a grin and a thumbs up. Oh God, my eyes! I'm blind…!

Recovering, I flinched slightly and smiled. "Hey Lee? Can I borrow Sakura for a few minutes?" Lee grinned brightly. "Not at all, my youthful friend. The friendship between my beautiful sakura blossom and you is in its highest stage of youthful glory. I am so happy for the both of you. Borrow her for a few youthful hours if you so please, my youthful friend."

I laughed internally at the monologue. Whew! He must be tired….

Nonetheless, I suddenly felt a pang of hurt for the guy. Was what I doing right?? Well, Sasuke-teme's happiness is more important to me anyway, and he deserves something good in his life, don't you agree?

I guess its true what our ancestors say, "Man becomes a selfish beast to keep his loved ones happy."

Sakura and I strolled into the training grounds. She sat under one of the trees and looked carefully at me. "Is there something important running amuck in that head of yours Naruto?" Her voice was devoid of emotion and it struck me as she didn't really want to know.

Out of the blue, a hot seed of dislike was buried in my heart. Hey, she needn't worry; I'm just trying to help here…

"I'm trying to help Sakura." I said, calmly. Now, she looked genuinely curious. "Help? What do you mean?" _Acting ignorant is not going to help you_, _idiot girl_, I though maliciously. Some part of my mind wondered why I was feeling so offended. After all, Sakura always treated me like I was some sort of brain-dead person. It's just how our relationship is.

Sakura was still looking at me, inquiringly. I snapped out a reply. "Do you still like Sasuke-teme?" Sakura's face went from surprised to puzzled to enlightened to happy and then evil in a few moments. I watched her face, carefully, trying to decipher each of her expressions. Then I saw her lips moving.

Oh, she's talking to me. "Huh?" Her tone was teasing when she replied. "Why do you want to know Naru-chan?" "Oh, no reason Sakura, just wondering. After all Sasuke-teme's all alone. And he still has to revive his clan." I said, matter-of-factly.

"Hm, yes! That's a problem….." She said, contemplatively. I kept silent. She looked lost in thoughts. Whatever she was thinking, I saw that it worried her very much. She was mumbling to herself and I caught only bits and pieces.

"I wonder…council….approve….relationship…Talk …Sasuke-kun…"

My brain processed only one word at this point in time, _'Huh?' _

Then suddenly she looked in my direction. And her face registered surprise for a moment, as if she had forgotten about my presence until then. Then she looked playful, and then decided.

"Oh, Naruto… I think, yes!" she said, looking down, shyly. "I think… that I still like him." I didn't know why, but feeling rather uneasy I got up abruptly. "Thanks for sharing the information, Sakura." I told her coldly and walked away quickly. I felt her eyes boring into my back and when I turned to look at her she was smiling delightedly.

It disturbed me. What was she planning?

I was feeling very uncomfortable inside. My stomach was queasy and Sakura's words kept playing in my head, _"I_ _think that I still like him." _I felt a headache coming on and I fisted my hands. Shouldn't this development make me ecstatic? After all, I was just handed the results of my quest in a silver platter. I could just go tell Sasuke and get him to confess to her and voila; my job's done.

Then why did I suddenly feel like jumping off the Hokage Tower? That needs some serious contemplation…..

_ _ _

I didn't want to show up for training that evening. I had a lot on my mind. I had to figure things out before I went crazy. After certain deliberation, I thought out a plan of action. I would figure out if Sakura was the one Sasuke liked. After all, he never told me that to my face, and one can never be too sure.

Now that I think about it, I'm not doing this because I have some hidden vendetta against Sakura and Sasuke getting together. It's simply because I don't want to create an unsavory mess. I'm rather famous for doing just that. But I won't do it, not this time. I hope you understand, my reasons.

I left for the training grounds. I veiled my chakra and crept towards the place where I knew Sasuke would be. And if Sasuke is there, Sakura will be there too.

Kakashi-Sensei looked in my direction from the branch he was crouching on and his eyes crinkled. I guess it's impossible to hide from him. I raised my finger to my lips and looked pleadingly at him. He shook his head slightly, and went back to his Icha book, promptly forgetting about me.

At least, I hope so…

But usually, Kakashi-Sensei was a person who observed quietly and kept the said observations and conclusions drawn from them to himself. So for the time-being anyway, I was quite sure that I was safe. My eyes swept over the clearing and gradually found Sasuke and Sakura.

They were sitting under a tree, heads close together and lips moving rapidly. My bows furrowed. Why weren't they training? I crept closer.

And then Sasuke-teme laughed. Not a smirk, not a quiet evil, chuckle; but rather a quiet full blown laugh. And then something inside me snapped. He never laughed like that with me. How come she could make him laugh?

I stalked over to them. "Nice to know the both of you are having fun, when you are _supposed_ to be training." I said, and it sounded cruel even to me. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and Sakura looked annoyed. "We were waiting for you, Naruto." The bastard said, quietly.

I bit my lip. Oh, now I was ashamed. Way to send me on a guilt trip Sasuke-teme.

"I had…some things to take care of…" I said, quite sure that I was blushing. Wait till Sasuke finds out I spent all this time pondering about his love-life and wondering who he liked. I would never hear the end of it.

"Why are you blushing, Naruto?" Sakura's tone was mocking. I bit back a callous retort and resorted to just turning away and starting some basic warm-up exercises. Sasuke was suddenly behind me. "You were with the Hyuuga girl weren't you?" He sounded strained. I opened my mouth in surprise to reply, when he shook his head, violently.

"Never mind, not my business, spar with me, Dobe." His voice shook, with …. what... pain? "Sure teme. Hopefully, this time, you won't run away in the middle of our spar." I said, meanly.

Sasuke looked like a kicked puppy. "Hey, it's okay teme. I understand." I said, consolingly. I patted his head awkwardly (though it annoyed me to notice that I had to reach up to get anywhere near his the top of his head) and smiled at him. His lips curved into a smirk. "Shall we?" He bowed, teasingly. I nodded, sagely and then it was an all out war, a tangle of hands, feet, heads and an interwoven, complex web of chakra.

_ _ _

After my plan to observe the two of them at close quarters without their knowledge got flushed down the drain, I had to come up with a new game-plan.

But what, now? I've never thought so much in my life, believe it! Why does it matter to me so much? Like I said, that is one question that requires intense meditation. Maybe I'm just confused because Sasuke-teme having a girl is an entirely new concept to me. He's never been interested in girls before, heck he's never been interested in boys either.

Maybe it's just different for him. People like me, I can simply admit that I like boys and girls, that I like good-looking, nice people, despite their gender; and no one is going to say anything. I'm already a monster in their eyes, because of Kyuubi. I can do nothing right. Even, if I die for the village I love, they'd all probably nod their heads sagely and say 'Good Riddance". It's just one more negative point added, and it's not going to make much of a difference. Besides, now that I think of it, the villagers would probably want my family line to end with me….

Not that the Hokage would allow that. Going against the council's wishes, she's already chosen me as her successor, bless her, and had started my training as soon as I made the ANBU.

But for Sasuke, it's definitely different. He's the last surviving Uchiha, one of the strongest clans of Konoha. The council would definitely want him to revive his clan, even if he's not interested in doing so. But who am I kidding? Sasuke's probably the one wishing to revive his clan the most. He never says so, but I can see that he misses having a family.

Besides, he never shirks his responsibility and he is the only one who can accomplish the mammoth task for he's the sole Uchiha heir.

And so now, we come to the most important question, one question, the answer to which I'm unwilling to find out. _Who is the one who has managed to snag Sasuke's interest and keep it? _It sure seems like Sakura, but can I be sure? And why did he sound so unhappy when he asked me if I was with Hinata? No…Was it Hinata he loved? So many questions, so little answers, and so little time….

Another thought assaulted me……

Does Sakura still like him? She told me she does, but she also told me before the teme's return that she had gotten over him. So how can I trust her? Where does Lee come into the picture then? I needed to know…..If she's playing around with Sasuke, I don't know if I can keep myself from mauling her. He didn't deserve that.

And suddenly the need to know, to know for sure became too great for me to stomach. I needed to find her…I ran out of the house without a second thought.

I sprinted like my life depended on it, (I would say it did, at least my sanity did) in search of Sakura. It was necessary for me to know her intentions, simple as that. Bingo, there she is. "Sakura." I said. I wanted to know the truth and nothing but the truth.

Yeah, I can be a pretty single-minded individual. "If you still like Sasuke, and you're going to pursue him, what are you going to do about Lee?" I asked, without preamble.

She looked surprised, and then she smiled. After a few minutes of silent contemplation she faked a heavy sigh. "I don't know why this is any of your concern, but I'll figure something out okay?" I was scandalized. Figure something out? She's playing with my teme's heart here.

"Think fast, okay Sakura? Otherwise, I'll do the thinking for you. I will not let you hurt the teme." I growled. "I did not dragged him all the way back from Sound only to have people who he loves and trusts betray him…"

"What's gotten into you Naruto? You're acting really possessive of Sasuke." Suddenly, her tone became sly. "Are you keeping something from him?" she asked me.

Possessive? Of Sasuke-teme? Me? _Huh?_

"But don't worry Naruto. Whatever you're trying to do to hook me and Sasuke-kun up, I appreciate it. But stop alright? I'll handle my affairs. " And then she walked away coolly.

She left me standing there, opening and closing my mouth like a fish.

_ _ _

Sasuke and I sat facing each other. His face was impassive as usual; I swear the guy's face could pass for a wax mask. I was nervous. "You wanted to tell me something?" He broke the silence. I did not answer.

I had called him to the ramen stand to tell him about the latest developments and to congratulate him on finding a mother for his children. But apparently, my body had other plans. I opened my mouth to speak and closed it. No words would come out. I frowned and looked at him.

A small round table and two bowls of ramen separated us. It was only inches… And then I wondered why I was measuring the distance separating us. Quite suddenly, I had the strangest desire to bang my head on the table.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. _How does he do that? _ "What's the matter, Dobe?" His voice was so amazingly husky and it sent a spark through my system. I had a vision of romantic music playing in the background as Sasuke and I ran towards each other and just as he was about to take me in his arms…. "You look constipated."

That thought flew out of the window, along with whatever disease I was suffering from. _Thank Goodness for small favors…._ "Shut up teme." I began to tuck into my ramen. I didn't have much of a wish to talk to him.

Sasuke's eyes burned into me and I wanted to yell at him to look away. Hey c'mon, it wasn't just me; anybody would feel conscious if they were being watched like a bug under a microscope.

I looked up after I was done. Sasuke's ramen remained untouched. I looked at it longingly. "Are you going to eat that?" I asked him. He shook his head and gestured for me to take it. Man of few words, that's my Sasuke.

Err…I mean that's Sakura's Sasuke. Or whosever Sasuke…just…just not mine…

I busied myself with finishing his ramen. _Tell him._ Some part of my brain insisted. I finished eating and wiped my mouth on my sleeve. "Ramen's the best, believe it!" I said, enthusiastically.

"It's not healthy for you, dobe. Try and include some vitamins and minerals in your diet." Sasuke said, quietly. A tense silence followed. Sasuke continued looking at me, blinking owlishly after long periods of time. Look away, I wanted to tell him. Yet my mouth remained stubbornly closed. _Tell him_, my brain urged again.

"When did you get back?" I asked, instead. Sasuke had been out of town on an S-class assassination-reconnaissance mission. It was ANBU level, of the most dangerous type and handled only by deadly, sharp and focused ninja like Sasuke.

"This morning, and yes, before you ask, mission was a success. I just handed the report to Tsunade-sama."

I nodded, slightly. Then another uncomfortable pause followed.

"Hey teme…" My heart was beating in my mouth. _What is this, some kind of love confession_? I thought annoyed. _Why is it so hard to tell him that Sakura likes him back?_

"Hn." That was Sasuke-speak for "Go ahead, I'm listening."

"I had a good time, teme." I heard myself tell him. "Let's do this again sometime, ne?" _No! What kind of statement was that? Stupid mouth, stupid brain, stupid, stupid, stupid…… _

When I saw the surprised expression flit across the bastard's face, I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me. Didn't that sound like something people say at the end of a date? I wonder what he's thinking….

Then Sasuke smiled.

I felt like the whole world was dropped on me, crushing my lungs and the air left my mouth in a whoosh. Wow, he looked beautiful when he smiled. Like Michelangelo's David, like Perfection….Like very cliché and corny……..

I slapped myself, mentally, very hard…Ouch!

He was probably smiling because I embarrassed myself, _again. _I would embarrass my self a million more times, if only he would smile like that once more. I flinched. Where were these thoughts coming from?

"Sure, dobe." He got up with a smirk, leaving the money for the ramen and raised his hand in a 2-finger salute. "Until next time then……"

And he was gone.

My face split into a grin. I will tell him about Sakura liking him back, it's a promise, believe it…! But not now, not until I figure out why I feel like I do around him…

I _will_ tell him though, _eventually……!!!!_

_ _ _

I felt restless all week. Something very important was teetering at the very edge of my conscious mind. I just had to reach out and grab it, but it danced frustratingly out of reach every single time. I felt like an ape, reaching for peanuts through the bar, peanuts that the mean human wouldn't share with anyone.

Maybe sparring with teme would help….I walked slowly to the training grounds, wondering if he would be there. Ah, there he was. Perhaps the Gods, were tired of torturing me?

"Sasuke, teme…" I called out to him, tentatively. His face remained the same, inexpressive as ever, but his eyes darkened in interest. He had stilled completely, his fist suspended in air, for I had interrupted him while he was practicing his katas.

He eased out into a relaxed position, bending his body as if it were made of rubber. I watched, fascinated. He grabbed a towel off the tree branch he had hung it on and ran it through his wet hair. When his breathing had completely fallen into its easy rhythm again, he spoke.

"Dobe? Is everything alright?" When I didn't look at him, he walked closer and raised my chin with his finger. "You look worried, Naruto." My name rolled off his tongue like it was the one word created for the use of his tongue and his tongue alone. His voice was liquid sin.

"Tell me…" he breathed into my face. I stared. His eyes were bottomless pools of inky blackness and they gripped you and dragged you in. But, I knew I would willingly go down without a fight, if he wanted me to.

"Dobe! Wake up. Did you hear a word of what I was saying?" Sasuke stood far away from me, one hand on his hip and the other holding the towel to his sweaty neck. "What?" I asked, rather stupidly.

He rolled his eyes. "What have I told you about interrupting me while I practice katas?" I did not answer. Disappointment coursed through me like a tidal wave. Groaning, I put my head in my hands. My dreams were going to kill me one day. Why was I even seeing dreams like that?

"Dobe?" "Give me a minute." I snapped, shaking my head, asking him to keep his distance. His brows rose. "Naruto! Tell me what's wrong." He told me in his most demanding voice. He could have as well been asking me who murdered the Hokage, for all the forcefulness that question carried.

"I want to know what you like about Sakura." I murmured pathetically, wondering where that thought had come from. His eyes suddenly became guarded. I wished I could crawl beneath a rock and die. I would have gladly welcomed an ambush by Orochimaru himself, if only he would kill me.

"What do you mean dobe?" The question was aggressive, like I had insulted the very core of his existence. My surprise must have momentarily shown on my face. I gaped. What did he mean; didn't he like Sakura, after all?

I suddenly felt very cold. Did I make a mistake? A wrong assumption? Perhaps I didn't know the full extent of their relationship? What did Sasuke mean?

Sasuke looked at me carefully for a whole minute, as I looked back at him. It was confusion that drove me to keep eye contact. As for him, I'll never know.

His face cleared suddenly and his eyes lost their intensity. It was suddenly replaced by disgust and slight amusement. He sneered at me. "Only you, Naruto. Only you." When I continued staring, he continued, "Are you really that dense, Dobe? Sakura?" He let out a bark of laughter.

"Even you could guess better than that." His voice was bitter. My head swam….

"You're telling me," I said my voice trembling; I didn't recognize the emotion tainting it, but I knew that it wasn't a positive feeling, "that all the laughing, giggling and secret sharing you've been doing with her is because you think of her as your little sister?" Sarcasm coated every syllable that left my mouth.

His eyes narrowed without warning. "Oh, the great one is getting brilliant at using sarcasm." He said, his own words mocking. "It's none of your business what I do with her, or anyone." He added the last bit, with a lot of venom. "When you walk around with the Hyuuga doing the same things you accused me of, I don't see you thinking how it would affect anyone else."

He sounded incensed, hurt and terribly unhappy all at once. I don't think there's room for any other emotion in my head other that shock.

Then anger reared its ugly head. Well, if were condemning each other, I could say a lot as well. "Are you telling me that you don't like Hinata?" Silly, yeah?

I saw his eyes widen in surprise. But I had already entered the lion's den, why not attempt to put my head in its mouth, as well?

"So you're telling me that you can ignore your closest friend and spend all your time with _Sakura, _when _I_ can't with sweet little Hinata who is so much nicer?" I spit out her name like it left a nasty taste in my mouth. My head reeled from the amount of anger I was feeling. I really had no idea why I was directing it at Sakura, when all this time she had been a friend to me, an annoying one, but one nevertheless.

I hadn't looked away from Sasuke's eyes, my own blue orbs spitting fire, I'm sure. His obsidian black jewels were narrowed, though not in anger. I tried to read into them, but I was no empath.

The he straightened up. I hadn't realized that both of us had dropped into crouches and assumed fighting stances- mine offensive, and his defensive (I always made the first move in our spars…). I straightened slowly, too. I felt like prey waiting for the hunter to make his move.

Then, out of the blue, the clearing rang clear with laughter. It was beautiful. I tilted my head to one side, and looked at my closest friend, surprised, well, more like bowled over. Sasuke had his head thrown back and he was _laughing._ In all the years I have known him, he's never laughed quite so openly. It was like he had thrown all the his inhibitions in the air and let them be carried away by the wind like pollen in spring.

His amusement, however, was contagious. I felt my face split into a small smile, which widened as the seconds ticked by. Sasuke stopped laughing and held onto a tree wheezing. "What's so funny, teme?" I asked him, playfully. "I thought we were serious and were hurling accusations at each other?"

That led to another round of laughter and he held out his hand, palm forward and shook it, indicating he had had enough of laughing. I grinned.

I dove for him and pined him to the ground, sitting straddling his torso.

He stopped laughing abruptly. I saw his eyes widen and he squirmed about under me. "Careful, Sa-su-ke." I purred into his ear. "You don't want to tempt me." He choked and became as still as a statue. I stilled as well. _Keep squirming Sasuke_, I thought, unbidden. _It was so deliciously_….Whoa, stop right there, what?

There was complete silence in the training grounds. The whole world had stilled. It seemed like the trees were holding their breath and a gentle waft of cool air blew threw my hair like a caress, _encouragingly_, I like to think.

And then, I tickled him, wondering all the while what the hell I was doing.

His writhed, kicked and yelled. _He was ticklish_, I thought devilishly, feeling a bit like myself again. I poked his ribs. "Naruto…" He pleaded, grinning tiredly. He had yelled himself hoarse. I stopped and our eyes locked for an intense moment. I leaned closer; I could feel warm puffs of breath on my face. I closed my eyes and exhaled shakily.

"Sasuke…" I whispered, gently touching his cheek. "You're as soft as Hinata." I was, honestly, awed. It was an oxymoron, really. How can Sasuke, who was as deadly as a ninja can get, who killed without blinking an eye and who handled weapons as easily as they were toys, be soft?

That seemed to snap him out of the trance he was in. He bucked and threw me off. He stood up, brushing himself off and glared. "Don't touch me like that again, if you want to keep your hands."

A feral hiss, deadly, glinting eyes, a warning was issued. Be assured folks, if angered, he will make good on his promise. "Don't start something, Naruto, unless you intend to finish it." He spat, coldly. And he was gone in a flurry of leaves.

I fisted my hand over my heart, curling into myself; I had just had an epiphany. Things would never be the same between my closest friend and me.

What the hell had I done?

_ _ _

Well, guess what? I figured it out….It's a disturbingly simple fact….

I'm in love with Sasuke. Like I said, simple, yet one of the most complicated feelings I have come across in my 21 years of existence. Rather shocking though. But then again, I should have foreseen it. It wasn't that hard of a matter to predict actually. I have stated before that I like boys and girls. Well, Sasuke is a boy, and on the plus side he is a _very_ attractive boy. No bloody Buddha can deny that. On second thoughts, that is perhaps a gross understatement.

Besides which, I spent most of my childhood by his side. The intensity of the pain I felt when he left, the oppressive happiness when he returned, the desire to constantly remain by his side and the constant need for physical contact; even if he wasn't comfortable with it, should have been plenty to clue me in on my condition.

But at that time, I had had too much on my mind to contemplate a romance in the near future. Nevertheless, no matter how, where, when or why; spending time with Sasuke was always a breath of fresh spring air for me.

With him, I always feel safe, at the risk of sounded cliché, and like I was wanted. Though he doesn't do much to encourage the constant flow of conversation from my side, he never does anything to discourage it either. That always gave me hope; still does actually. And every time I look into his eyes, I never see hatred or fear, just a calm, unquestioned acceptance.

True, he never spoke much and he had all the emotional compatibility of a human sculpture. Nothing ruffled him; nothing made him exceptionally happy or depressed. Nothing surprised him; the bastard seemed unusually prepared for anything you threw his way. Except on the rarest occasions, I have seen him only smirk or glare, that too not very often. In short, my teme was…is, in fact; an emotionally dead person, almost.

Maybe not _my_ teme, though. Like I have already said, Sasuke wouldn't shirk his duties and I cannot possibly give him even one heir, let alone help him revive his clan. Much as I wish it, it will not happen. It is simply against the rules of nature.

I can admire him all I want from afar, maybe even love him so intensely that I remain unmarried for him; for the rest of my life, and yet it wouldn't make a difference. Sasuke still wouldn't be able to be with me and I would have to live with the burden of seeing him marry a nice girl, settle down and live a happy life. Not that I have anything against Sasuke being happy, I wish him all the happiness in the world.

But call it an unforgivable desire of a fool in love; God knew I wanted him to be happy with me and me alone.

Is that selfish of me?

Perhaps it is….But I will never stop wishing it were so…!

Then again, nothing is ever under our control. And in my case, even wishes, however desperate they maybe won't work. Maybe, if I wish that I don't want the teme, it will work the other way as usual and I'll end up getting him after all?

One can wish; it is one thing you don't have to pay money for doing…. And God knows I need to accumulate all the money I get…..we ninjas aren't paid much; we're in for the excitement. We're adrenaline junkies and we thrive on danger…

But fact remains, after all is said and done, that I would do anything for his happiness, even if he told me to stay away, I wouldn't, couldn't actually. As long as he didn't tell me who it was that he loved, I figured I had hope. It's a pesky thing, isn't it? Hope…

The more you hope, the deeper into depression you're flung when it doesn't work out the way you want it to.

But I had one comforting thought in mind, he didn't like Sakura, of that much now I was sure, heard it straight from the horse's mouth , so to speak; I can just tell him why I thought it was Sakura he liked, apologize and get of his case, see? Easy. Well, for the time being anyway, for eventually I will have to watch him fall for someone else won't I?

One thing relieved me enormously though. I never had a chance with Sasuke, of that I was quite convinced. But even if I did have a small chance and it didn't work out, I always had my little Hinata to fall back on. Just because I was denied what I wanted most, didn't mean she had to be denied what made her happy. She made no secret of the fact that she loved me. She couldn't, the poor thing. She was too open, too naïve.

So if I don't get Sasuke, I'll give her what she's always wanted, myself.

Besides I can always teach myself to love her, even if I don't love her now. It isn't that hard to fall in love with someone who owns a heart as pure as Hinata's….

That aside, when was the last time I ate, well, anything edible?

_ _ _

Throwing punch after punch into a face that was blurred, by the torrents of sweat running into my eyes, we circled the training grounds. I didn't – couldn't remember who was at the directing end of my fury. But I was aware that we were training with Gai's team that day.

There had been some sort of incongruity between Kakashi- Sensei and Gai. The other jounins who had been with them had reported that the fight had escalated beyond anything verbal and they had had to be immobilized to stop them from killing each other.

It seemed that Gai had tried to force down Kashi-Sensei's throat that his team was the best and, sensei, in a rare show of possessiveness and pride in us had tried to get Gai to eat his words, literally. Then there had been a bet. Both their teams would have a match; with witnesses and let it be said that "May the best man's team win…."

A match to prove their prowess, so to speak….

So here we were, once again, caught in the cross-fire….

Getting punched in my gut, I skidded back a few meters and swinging myself by force of my heels, and spinning on my hand, free style, I slammed my feet into my opponent's ribs. I caught a flash of green as the person went flying into the closest tree. Oh, I was fighting Lee… Figures…

Wiping the blood off the corner of my lips, I smirked. I caught Sasuke's eyes focused sharply on me and their intensity made me flush. A right-hook, infused with chakra, to the side of my chin put the teme right out of my mind. Head reeling, I clutched at my abdomen as intense pain shot through it. I knelt, heavily on the grass.

Why though? I wondered as the world turned blurry before my eyes, I didn't even take that hard a hit on my stomach.

The last thing I heard was Sasuke's "Dobe? Dobe, what is…..." which was quickly overridden by Lee's tearful "I'm so sorry, my youthful friend. Don't die on me…" as warm hands went around me and I succumbed to the darkness.

_ _ _

I opened my eyes to a world of white. "Am I in heaven?" I wondered out loud.

A snort came from the other side of heaven, err… room. "No, Naruto, not yet." Sakura said smiling, affectionately at me. "You're in the hospital." Her face became stern. "And you're in trouble, mister." She told me. She glanced at my charts and looked over at me as carefully, as I was an interesting specimen she was examining. I gulped, discreetly.

"When was the last time you ate?" Her voice was like honey, with an undertone of steel that promised pain if you tried to lie. I paled and shook my head, "Why should I tell you?" I asked, childishly. I didn't exactly remember, but they didn't have to know that. I was pre-occupied these last few days, okay? I kind of forgot to eat…no big, yeah? There are plenty of people who go hungry all the time, they don't die…

"Well, if you won't tell me, you will tell Sasuke, or Tsunade, yeah?" she asked me, her eyes twinkling.

"Tsunade, I understand. She's my doctor, my mentor and the Hokage." I glared. "But, why would I tell the teme?" She snorted. "Oh, I can think of reasons." I wasn't convinced, "And they are?" I asked, feeling the familiar warmth of friendship for Sakura flare up in me again.

Well, I knew now that Sasuke wasn't interested in her anyway, I thought and felt immediately a flare of guilt.

"Well, for one, Sasuke is intensely, intensely, I repeat, pissed off." This time, when I gulped, it was audible and Sakura grinned a shark's grin. "You will need all the energy you have when Sasuke comes for you, Na-ru-to." She sang. I huffed. Well, she sure was having fun at my expense.

But I didn't feel any resentment. I felt rather pleased that the teme was worried for me. "…amazing show of possessiveness that was." Huh? I turned my head to listen to Sakura.

She was smiling happily as she said, "He raced over into the ring as soon as he saw you kneel, lifted you off Lee's arms, who by the way, was seriously afraid that he had killed you…" I snorted.

Sakura glared and laughing slightly, I gestured for her to continue.

"So like I was saying, he lifted you effortlessly, like some prince and ran all the way to the hospital, shifting between pleading with you to be alright and threatening to castrate you if you don't open your eyes."

My eyes were threatening to fall out of my head and I was sure I was gaping like an idiot. Sakura leaned over and close my mouth gently. She smiled, serenely at me. "He cares a lot for you, Naruto." She told me, quietly.

"But…but what about you?" She laughed. "I was never part of the equation involving Sasuke's love life, silly. I gave up on him years ago." Her eyes became dreamy, "Lee's the one for me, Naruto. He's _the_ one."

I smiled, happy for her.

"He held you like a doll that would break if he let go, you know?" She asked me, seriously "Tsunade had to get Kakashi to drag him home. He stayed here the whole night and didn't sleep a wink. He scared the hell out of all our trainees."

"You deserve him, Naruto." She promised, as I blinked. "After all you've been though to bring him home, if anyone deserves him, it's you." Her eyes darkened. "And if he ever hurts you, I'll make Orochimaru look like a kitten, even with all the atrocities he had listed behind his name, when I'm thought with him. Alright?"

My head was pounding again, and this was too much information at once, for my poor head to handle. Sakura laid me back on the pillow gently and put her cool hand on my forehead. She kissed my cheek, gently. "Sleep, Naruto…" A lethargic feeling of peace and contentment washed over me, like a wave, drenching me completely and for the first time in days when I closed my eyes, my mind was at peace and I was content.

I swam out of consciousness again.

_ _ _

When I opened my eyes to behold the world a second time, it was dark.

I wondered if everything that had taken place, hours previously had been a dream. I wouldn't put it past my crazy eccentric mind. I sat up slowly. My arm throbbed. Startled, I looked down. Immediately, annoyance washed over me.

Drips?

I would eat, you know? I thought feeling indignant. I didn't need to be injected with glucose like a small, dependant baby with no teeth. Sighing unhappily, I flopped back on the pillow and closed my eyes. A slight breeze blew in through the open window, ruffling my disheveled hair.

I opened my eyes, intrigued.

The curtains had been left parted and the window was open. I maneuvered my body such that I was sitting propped up as far as I could rise without jarring the hand to which the needle was attached. From this position I had a pretty good view out of the window.

The moon shone full and bright in the sky. It cast a pale, silvery light over all of God's creation and it suddenly struck me that our Creator, whoever he or she is, must be a simply divine artist. Slight melancholy crept into my thoughts. Of course, he or she simply _had_ to be to create a specimen like Sasuke.

But I digress…. It was a lovely night.

The door opened, quietly and a head of pink hair was poked in. She saw me sitting up and smiled, happily. "Oh, Naruto. You're awake." She walled to my side slowly. "Are you feeling okay?" I nodded. She cocked her head.

"No stomach-ache, head-ache, or anything of the sort?" I shook my head. "Are you suffering from nausea?" Another shake, no. She grinned. She gestured me to lie down. I made a small noise of protest in the back of my throat. She glared.

I shuffled around, until I was in the horizontal position again.

She nodded approvingly. Her hand glowed green with chakra and she ran it all over me, her eyes closed. When it reached my torso, she paused for a few moments, and then one finger poked my stomach. I squirmed, uncomfortably. "No pain?" she asked, again. "No" I said, firmly.

She pulled her hand away and smiled. "Perfect. You can leave tomorrow morning. You're as good as new, Naruto." She paused. "Now, do you have questions about…well, about anything?" When I looked at her, her eyes were twinkling.

"Yeah, sure." I said, shrugging. "Is it a bad sign when you've got really weird dreams?" She raised an eyebrow. "Not necessarily." She said, after a pause. "Depends on what your dream was about. Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Yeah…" I looked away. "There was just a lot of strange stuff happening." I looked back at her. "It's just that you were telling me about how I got to the hospital and that Sasuke, well…that the teme…" I held out my hand, helplessly, in a 'you know' gesture.

She smiled, wolfishly. "Oh? What else did I tell you?" I shrugged again, desperate to appear unruffled. "You told me that he carried me to the hospital and well…..stuff like that." I smiled, rather sadly. "Silly dream, ne?" She laughed.

"Very." She agreed, mirthfully. "But not so when it happens, apparently." My head, which had sunk quite a bit jerked up and I looked at her. My heart swelled with hope, rather unexpectedly and I lost my breath for a moment.

"So, it wasn't a dream? You actually…" I hated how breathlessly excited my voice sounded. I paused and put a hand over my mouth. My heart thumped, gradually increasing in decibels until I was sure Sakura could hear it.

"So the teme actually cares, for me?" I said, my voice rather disbelieving now. "Ah, no no, Naru-chan." Sakura said, gently, sitting down beside me and putting an arm around my quivering shoulders. "Sasuke is in love with you. He has been for some time now…"

"But I..."

I paused, my head whirling. So many questions were spinning dizzyingly through my head; I didn't know which ones I wanted answered most. So I started at the basic, one question I had already asked before. "What about you, Sakura?"

Letting the air puff out of her mouth in slow, sporadic spurts, she looked at me in the eye, her own eyes glowing. "Let me clear the picture for you, alright Naruto?" she asked, kindly. "Let me tell you the whole story, from the very beginning." I nodded, rather tersely.

She began.

"Once upon a time…" she started, in a solemn falsetto. I rolled my eyes. She grinned. "Well, it was once upon a time. Started back in our genin days, remember?" I gestured, impatiently. She continued.

"Well, back then, I was crazy about Sasuke. At least, I thought I was…."She paused thoughtfully. I growled, impatiently. 'Sheesh, impatient much?" She grinned. I glared. "Okay, okay. Well, I was so young then." She sighed.

"It was rather like a trend to be in love with the dark, broody types and Sasuke was my choice of the said type. It was a trend, Naruto." She said, matter-of-factly. I blanched. She had been crazy about him because it was a trend?

"But then, I actually fell in love with him. He was my first love." She said, wistfully. "Then, he left. It was so hard to get over him, Naruto." She smiled, sadly. "Every time you went out to get him, I was so grateful and jealous at the same time that I couldn't go with you. But I had hope. I was sure you would bring him back."

She glanced at me. "Well, I gave up after a while. Not on you bringing him back, but on our love. The aching grief turned to anger. I was raving mad at him for deserting me…us." She smiled. "Then Lee came along."

"At first he annoyed me intensely. I wasn't ready for another romance and his freakishly long sappy declarations scared me, frankly." I smiled, amused. "I told him I couldn't give him what he wanted." She grinned, fondly. "And he told me that he was okay with anything I had to offer. Then, he became my closest friend."

She paused to take a breath. I am pretty sure I've never listened to anyone so intently in my life.

"I ranted to him, never letting him speak. I told him what it was to love a human ice block..." I flinched. She smiled, sympathetically. "And he listened." She sat back, leaning against the wall. "But one day, I think I went too far with my accusations. It was when you came back after your second attempt at retrieving him. You were bloody and bruised and still wanted him back and I lost it."

"But he was so mature that day. All his energy and his 'youthfulness' were apparently on vacation." She smirked. "He made me see Sasuke for who he really was. He told me that, yeah, Sasuke was an amazing ninja, but even he didn't have it in him to destroy in the name of revenge. Especially, not his older brother, who was the one person he loved the most in this world." She smiled, nostalgically.

"I remember being awed and seeing him in a new light that day." She looked at me. "Lee promised me that Sasuke was not dark and that he would come back, that _you_ would bring him back" She laughed. "He told me that day that he believed in true love and that you loved him truly and deeply and your love for him would never allow you to give up on him, no matter how far he strayed away from you. He believed so staunchly that your love for Sasuke would give you the strength to steer him back the right way, to Konoha."

I was blushing, damn it! Sakura's eyes were twinkling again.

"You didn't even know it then, Naruto. Didn't you ever wonder what made you keep going back for Sasuke?" She asked curiously. I shrugged, despondently. "Not really. And I just found out a few weeks ago, yeah. It would have helped, knowing it then." I said. She laughed. "Would have helped, he says."

"Well, then it became really hard to think of Lee as just a friend. I rather think he anticipated the change, well; he sensed it anyway and asked me out again. I said yes." She smiled, again. "Then you brought Sasuke home. And I saw how very despondent he was, like he had nothing left to accomplish anymore. Like, he had nothing left to live. "

She sighed. "I didn't feel any resentment for him, and I saw what Lee meant. Afterwards, I realized that I never loved Sasuke as much as you loved him. My feelings for him fell in a completely different category, at least after he left." She paused.

"Then?" I prompted.

"A few months ago, I began noticing how Sasuke looked at you." I raised an eyebrow. She laughed. "With a curious sort of wistful longing, like you stare at ice-cream on a hot day when you don't have enough money to buy one." I laughed and she giggled.

"You know?" She said, thoughtfully. "He took a lot of pleasure in the fact that you were nice to everyone but him. When you called him teme it made him feel special." I guffawed. "Masochist." I alleged. She grinned.

"No, Naruto. He thought of it like your special nick-name for him. No one called him that and well, if they had they would have been six feet under by now. Only you were allowed to get away with so much cheek. Besides, you never called anyone that either." She looked pointedly at me. I nodded, complacently.

"So I noticed and during your spar, one day; when he was feeling very comfortable in the knowledge that his secret was safe, I mouthed to him during an interval that I knew. Just for fun…" She grinned sheepishly. "Kami, how he panicked. He spun you around, grabbed me and popped us over to the other side of the river, where he spent the whole morning pleading with me not to tell you."

I smiled. "So that was what happened." I said, pleased. She nodded and continued.

"He told me that he couldn't reign in his feelings and that he had tried very hard to do so. He seemed to think that it was absurdly wrong to love you, and had convinced himself that it wouldn't work out and that you wouldn't be interested." I snorted.

"But he had fallen hard, Naruto. He had pledged his heart, mind, body and soul to you and will accept no other. He didn't want to…." I gulped, discreetly. Wow…

"One thing, Naruto, Sasuke loves as intensely and with as much single-minded dedication as he does anything else. I just realized that, you know?" Wasn't I aware of that? I thought, rather ruefully.

"I told him to tell you." Sakura told me, earnestly. "I was aware, of course, that you reciprocated his feelings but I didn't tell him so. I wanted you to figure it out, to discover your love for him, Naruto." She looked at me, tenderly.

"That was nice of you, Sakura-chan." I said, gratefully. "But if had just told him, a lot of mess could have been avoided, you know?" "Yes, I know. But I didn't want to meddle. And, to his credit, he did try telling you that he loved you, but I think you were eating ramen when he tried. We all know what you're like when it's your 'ramen time'." She put it in air-quotes. I smiled, abashedly.

That explains the episode at the ramen-stand, I thought satisfied.

"But he came back to me after that episode, angry and unhappy, and told me that you wouldn't understand and that since any romance between the two of you was doomed from the start, he did not want to risk your friendship." I looked away from her face, guiltily. My heart clenched.

Sasuke had an iron control over any remotely emotional cell in his body. If that control had cracked just because I threw around a few careless words, it frightened me what sort of control I had over my teme. I closed my eyes.

"He's so damn elusive." I said, frustrated. "His eyes are so shuttered and even if you read some emotion in them, it's probably what he wants you to read and not what he's feeling at all. He's such a manipulative bastard, so much so that even if you don't want to, you end up doing exactly what he wants you to do."

Sakura smiled, gently. "No one blames you, honey. But, maybe, it's these qualities that you just listed that kept your teme alive all these years, ne? Otherwise with the number of people out for his blood, he would have been dead a long time ago. Think about it, Naruto."

No arguments there, I thought tersely.

"Then?" I asked, patiently.

"Then, when you came to me, asking if I still liked him, I figured it was just a matter of time before you figured out your heart wasn't yours anymore." She grinned, impishly. I rolled my eyes. What an utterly feminine way of putting it.

"So I thought, why not give you a little push in the right direction? I told you that I still loved him. And you took bait, Naruto. You were jealous and when I saw how cold you became towards me, I was delighted. I knew you would figure it out…" she paused.

"Well, eventually, anyway." She patted my arm. I glared and she laughed. "So I kept baiting you, trying to hurry along the impending revelation." She shook her head, slightly. "Meanwhile, I had to keep Sasuke from giving up on you. He actually thought that you and Hinata were an item, you know?" She flashed her shark-like grin again. "Until I convinced him otherwise, of course."

Another mystery solved. Now I knew why he was so distressed whenever Hinata's name came up. I gestured for her to continue.

"Then there was your confrontation in the meadow." I gaped. "Yes, I know about that." I was pretty sure I looked ashamed. I wasn't aware that I hurt Sasuke enough for him to run and confide it to someone. And I'll be the first to admit that it surprised me, big time. Sasuke was a very private person by nature.

"It doesn't matter now, Naruto" Sakura assured, like she had read my mind. I didn't answer.

"Sasuke..." she continued. "Sasuke thought that you knew about his feelings for you and were trying to mock him, playing with his heart so to speak." I gasped. Sakura nodded. "The poor thing was that far gone. I told him to pull himself together and that there was no way you would do something like that." I nodded, reassured.

Obviously, I would sooner cut off my hands than do anything to hurt any of my friends, deliberately. And I would rather die than hurt Sasuke.

"However, he became suddenly determined and decided that he was going to make you his, come hell or high water." I blushed. She sniggered. "He was going to tell you that day, after the thing between our sensei and Gai had been settled. But you, darling, always have an uncanny knack of throwing water over people's fire and you did just that." She smirked. "You fainted."

I held my head high. "I didn't faint, pardon me, I lost consciousness." I said, with dignity. She giggled. "Yeah, yeah! Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid" "Well, go on." I said, trying to save what was left of my dignity. She glanced knowingly at me, but continued anyway.

"Well, that's what it is, Naruto. You just need to say the word and your teme will be yours forever. He's laid all his cards on the table, well, I have for him anyway." She grinned. Then she looked into my eyes, hers silently pleading and offering solid support. It touched me somewhere deep.

"I suppose all that's left to say now is that, whatever you do now, I'd like you to know that I'm with you. You're family, Naruto and you have my loyalty, no matter what." She took my hand in hers. That's a promise, Naruto, on my honor as a ninja."

My eyes teared, suddenly. "Thank you. I can probably never tell you how grateful I am, Sakura. You must have made my life, right about now. I'd like to offer the same in return. You call; Sakura-chan and I'll be there." I promised.

She had tears in her eyes too, and yet she was smiling, beautifully. "You better be." She said, weakly and pulled me into a hug. I laid my chin on top of her cotton-candy hair and smiled happily even as I marveled at how petit she was, for a dangerous ninja.

I had one more thing to do, before I could rest in peace. Well, as much peace as being a ninja allows you….

_ _ _

"Dobe…" Not a leaf shook in the silent night. A ripple of chakra washed over me sending tingles of awareness all over my body as I recognized the familiar chakra signature. A second later, Sasuke appeared silently beside me. I turned to him, smiling.

For a moment, it was like the world held its breath. Neither of us moved closer, neither of us moved away. Sighing almost imperceptibly, Sasuke moved in for the kill. And I found myself wrapped in arms, solid in muscle and offering solid warmth and held close to their owner. I stiffened and then breathed deeply. I dimly realized in some corner of my mind that I've never felt warmer in my entire life, before.

He laid his chin, gingerly on the top of my head, as if testing waters. I relaxed, encouragingly in his arms and he pulled me closed. His breath sifted past my ear and I shivered. "I heard you got out today. I wanted to come and take you home, but they wouldn't let me in." He murmured into my ear. "They said something about not allowing people with murderous tendencies near their patients." I muffled my chuckle against his shoulder, rather sure that he was scowling.

He pushed me away to arm's distance and his dark eyes raked over my form looking for anything remotely out of place. "You're okay, then?" He asked me. I nodded, slightly. "Sure, I am, teme. Nothing can keep me down for long." I smiled teasingly. "Were you worried about me?" I gripped his arms. "C'mon, admit it."

He laughed, rather harshly.

"Worried, would be an understatement, Dobe." He snapped. My smile disappeared. He gripped my shoulders gently. "Please, don't scare me so badly again, Naruto." I grinned. He held up his hand is defeat. "Okay, too much to ask of _you_." He shook his head and smiled. I promptly lost my breath.

"At least give me a fair warning, next time you plan to leave the world of the living?" "I doubt _I_ will know, seeing as your smile appears rather suddenly, like that." I confessed, grinning like an idiot. He looked bowled over for a moment and then he smiled, again. I smiled back, a knee-jerk reaction as my heart skipped a beat.

"Do you want to take a walk?" he asked, rather abruptly. His eyes, for once, were warm. I didn't even pause to think. "Sure, after you." I gestured forward. He dimpled.

Holding out his hands, palms up, he shook his head. Then chuckling he lowered them onto my shoulders and steered me forwards. "Ladies first, Naru-chan." He said, softly. Glaring, I huffed. "Who said that I was the woman in this relationship?" Sasuke snorted, amused. "In this relationship, huh?"

I blushed to the roots of my blond hair. Gently, he turned me to look at him. His eyes were kind and, it seemed to me, open to suggestions. I stuttered. "What I mean is, wh-what we-…we have is..." He interrupted.

"What we have, Naruto, can be whatever you want it to be." He promised, quietly, his voice warm, yet with an undertone of steel that he could never quite get rid of. Something inside me melted at how sincere he sounded. I exhaled, loudly.

"Anything at all?" I asked my voice misleadingly calm. I was shivering inside and was quite sure that Sasuke could hear my bones rattling. "Anything." He said, and I was sure at that moment that his pride wouldn't let him break his promise. Even if I told him I wanted nothing to do with him, he would stay away. His strength of resolve, made me smile.

I pushed him away to arms length and looked straight into his bottomless onyx eyes. "I want you to be mine." I declared, quietly, yet firmly. "Forever, teme. I don't share what is mine." I warned. Sasuke released a breath he wasn't even aware he was holding and his face split into a beautiful smile.

Once again, I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I resigned my self to feeling that way every time Sasuke smiled, seemed to me that I would never get used to it. Again, we stood in silence for a while. Sasuke reached out a hand, rather uncertainly and pulled back, his eyes asking permission.

Suddenly overcome, I reached up and seizing his shoulders, propelled him into a powerful kiss. The world stopped spinning on its axis, the trees stopped moving and it seemed like even the wind was holding its breath. My whole sense of awareness focused sharply on just the feel of his lips on mine and the feel of his hair in my hands.

Rather abruptly, I let go of his shoulders and we parted simultaneously, breathing hard. The air shot out of my lungs like a piston and I felt as if I had been running a thousand miles non-stop uphill with a boulder on my back. My blood and my heartbeats were synchronizing themselves in a roaring crescendo in my ears.

Overcome, I gazed up at Sasuke. He was gazing intensely at me, his eyes almost smoky in their intensity. I gulped and admitted, "I've been wanting to do that for some time now." He nodded, rather desperately and soon we were kissing again. Nipping, licking, biting and drinking the other's flavor like a desperately thirty man, water.

We stood quietly in each other's embrace for what seemed like an eternity. I Bit my lip and before my brain caught up with my mouth I had confessed. "I'm in love with you, Sasuke." He stiffened. And my heart plummeted. Then his arms tightened around me.

"I love you too, Dobe." He spoke hoarsely, as if the words were being pulled out from the very depths of his heart. And just like that….

My heart soared.

_ _ _

I woke to the sun's merciless rays shining right into my eyes. Damn, Sasuke had drawn the binds. Sasuke…. My mouth lifted in a rather dreamy smile as I recalled yesterday.

_Slicked, sweaty bodies, harsh panting…._

"_Naruto…" hoarse whispers of endearments, but never promises…._

_Excitement, rush of pleasure, a building pressure, white spots and then warmth….._

Curling over and pulling the duvet to my chin, I sighed contently. Sasuke was mine, believe it…!! Turning on my back, I listened for a shower, but it wasn't running. Crushing the slight doubt that crept into my mind, I rolled off the bed and cocked an ear. The Uchiha mansion was deathly still. Suddenly, fear gripped my gut. I felt cold.

_He wouldn't_, my mind insisted. I wanted to believe it so badly. But, I was already running. "Sasuke?" I yelled, running past open doors, peeping into all. Silence…oh, the horribly oppressive silence. I pounded into the kitchen and my eyes fell on the table. It was a cup of onigiri and tomato sauce, Sasuke's favorite.

Confused, I glanced around, then where could he be? I noticed a taped note on the fridge. Pulling it off, I squinted. It was a note from Sasuke. It ran along the following lines…

_**Dobe, **_

_**Mission briefing, Hokage Tower, Hurry over. **_

_**Love you,**_

_**Sasuke.**_

Short, to the point, just like me teme. I smiled, fondly. Breezing through my morning chores, grinning all the while, I headed out immediately after throwing the keys into the flower pot by the front door of the house. The main door of the complex recognized chakra signatures, so it wouldn't allow burglars in anyway. The Uchihas, when they were alive, were a bunch of paranoid bastards.

As I was about to storm the Hokage's office, Shizune held out a hand.

"Briefing's over." She told me. My face fell. "Gates, Naruto" She directed, grinning. My heart lifted. Flashing her a two-finger salute in thanks, I raced over to the main gates of Konoha. My eyes began searching for him before I actually reached the gates.

Sasuke stood leaning against the right gate, his arms folded across his board chest and his ANBU mask around his neck. I smiled, happily. He glanced up. His face remained suspended in its impassive stoicity, but I noticed that his eyes, warmed rather instantly.

Unpredictably, he held out his hands and I ran into them gratefully. "Come back safe, Teme." I whispered, into his shoulders. He pushed me away, gently and looked into my worried eyes. "I have someone to come home to now, Dobe."

Was all he said, before smiling his goodbye, flashing over the gate and racing into the trees. Smiling serenely, I leaned against the gates. Yes, I thought my mind and heart at peace. We both did.

We both had someone to come home to…..

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
